The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-03-10
HOUSE SEWERAGE.
Sanitary Engineer Gray's Report Upon
Canton.
And What She Can Do in the Matter Of Es-
tAblIshInE = System Of House
seweraRe--A COmpro-
henaive Report.


meeting:
Messrs. William Dannemiller, President;
Josiah Hartzell, Secretary; W. A.
Lynch. Daniel Parr, DR.. E. o. Port
mann. Sewer Commissioners:
GentIemen:-HaVing carefully con
sideIed the question submitted to mo,
viz: The disposal Of the sewage OF Can
ton, respectfully present the following
rerorI:
In order to make estimates and com
pRrlsOns Of cost 1t is necessary to assume
some definite number Of people to be
provided for not only I r the present,
out also for the future. Errors may b.
made by over estimating ss well as by
nader estimating for the future, and
there 10 limit beyond which 1t is not
wise to provide. ] have based my esti-
mates on present population Of 1900
inhabitants connected with sewers, and
for future population Of $1,000.
METHODS OF DISPOSAL .i 3
The principal methods for disposal Of
sewage are as follows: Crude 1isp sal,
disposal by broad Irrigation, by Inter
mittent filtration, and by chemical pre-
cipitation; the latter some times is sup.
plemented by filtration through land
We will consider these In the order
named. ae
a CRUDE DISPOSAL.
In crude disposal the sewage is col
lected at one or more convenient points,
and there discharged In Its crude state
directly into the ocean, lake, or running
stream. This system Is admissible when
the currents are sufficiently strODg, and
the volume of water sufficiently large
In proportion to the quantity of sewage
discharged, so that no nuisance Is caused
thereby. Exceptions may be taken to
this disposing of the sewage where the
water from the stream is taken for
domestic supply below the point of sew.
age discharge.
BROAD IRRIGATION.
In this method Of disposal the sewage
is turned upon the land for the purpose
Of irrigation, as we'll as for the TuTiilca-
tiOn of the sewage, the earth acting as
purifier Of the foul liquid by first arrest
Ing upon its surface the coarser SUBJ
stances; the particles fi]iently min.
ute to pRs5 into the earth are next
caugh the water thus freed from In
soluble matter descends into the earth
and Ia absorbed by the soil, and oxydIzed
by the air In the ground. 1t is quite
sential for the successful working of
irrigation, that the land be so under
drained that the purified water may be
readily taken from the ground. Soils
differ In their powers of purificatlOn,
but 10 has been found by experience
that on an average one acre Of land is
required for the disposal Of the sewage
Of one hundred persons.
INTERMITTENT FILTRATION.
This system Of disposal is In some
respects not unlike broad irrigation: the
main difference being that the ground
is more thoroughly underdrained, more
care taken In preparing the surface,
which is brought to lev9l. The solids
are allowed to settle in tankp, after
which the sewage Is intermittently ap
piled In much greater qua titles than
in broad irrigation. 1t is not unusual to
apply the sewage Of eight hundred or
one thousand people to the acre.
In intermittent filtration 1t Is neces
sary to remove the solids from the sew
age before applying 1t to the land,
which is done In sludge tanks by sedi
mentation only, (no chswicsls being
used) while 10 broad irrigation only 80
much sewage is applied as the crops are
able to receive without injury.
CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION.
Chemical precipitation consists In
m king with. the sewage certain chemi-
Gals which precIpitate all solids held In
suspension. The mixture Of chemicals
and sewage being allowed to flow into
tanks where 1t comes to an absolute or
comparative rest, and the precIpitated
matter settles to the bottom of the tanks
and ia called sludRe. The tffiOent or
clarified liquid being allowed to flow off
into the nearest stream. The sludge
contains about ninety per cent. OF water
and Ii In q semi fluid state, and is best
treated by the use Of hydraulic filter
presses by which the amount OF water is
reduced to about fifty per cent, Of the
weight of sludge. As 1t comes from the
presses the sludge is nearly devoid of
OdOr and Is of@uch cOmpactness that II
can be readily handled. The general feat.
uTes Of precipitation works may be briefly
stated as follows: Mechanical arrange
ments for separating the grosser solids
from the sewage, and for dtssOlviDg the
chemicals and mixing them with the
sewage; tabis Of the proper size for the
precipitation Of the impJrlties; chan
nels for the escape Of the effluent;
pumping machinery for removing and
handling the sludge from the tanks;
presses and convenlences for the re-.
mOVal Of the pressed sludge; buildings
for the protection Of the machinery;
store houses, etc.
ID From the information furnished me,
am OF the opinion that you can safely
practice crude disposal for q part Of the
year for some time to come, emptyinRi
the sewage into the NlmishiIlOn Creek,
at point west Of Mr.. MflIard's house,
below the DAM. There would, however,
probably be times during the, season
when crude disposal would not bessatissi
factory; and the time will doubtless
c"me when, as the city grows, such dis.
p0sal Will cause nuisance. Your
authorities Inform me that IL crude dis
p0sal should be practlced during the
entire year action would be taken to
prevent the same during the low atage
Of the creek; and II is therefore neces.
sary to provide some other mode Of die
posal. The most suitable tracts of land
for irrigation or intermittent filtration
within reasonable distance OF the city
are the Sarver fields and the Carnes
land. II irrigation or intermittent al.
tratiOn be adopted, II will be wise to
secure, II possible, the amount Of land
required for future use, preparing only
so much ag is needed Rt the present. IL
precipitation be adopted, the works
should be OF proper Size TO treat the
sewage for the present, and at the same
time be capable Of extension to meet
future needs.